The court, sitting at Oxford's Old Assizes, heard that Lt Palmer's platoon had been warned about heightened tensions in the area as a result of anger among some Muslims following the appearance of the cartoons in a Danish newspaper the previous year.

Part of the area they were due to patrol that day came under Danish control, the court heard.

The patrol was only four miles from Camp Campbell when the Snatch Land Rover in which Lt Palmer was travelling was engulfed in a violent blast.

Despite the efforts of his fellow soldiers to save him Lt Palmer, of Ware, Hertfordshire, died of his injuries following the blast on April 15 2006.

Warrant Officer Michael Halewood, of the Royal Logistics Corp, investigated the blast and told the court that a Warrior tank could have saved the dead man and his colleagues who were injured.

But the court heard from Major Angus Benson-Blair that a bridge to the area of the patrol was passable only by Land Rover.

The court also heard that Lt Palmer had been warned about a possible bomb in the area the day before the patrol.

He had taken a Snatch-type Land Rover out of Camp Campbell to investigate the reports but found nothing.

Giving his verdict of unlawful killing Mr Walker said: "The unhesitating courage and unstinting grit of our troops is a credit to them their unit and forms part of a tradition in our armed forces of which we are rightly proud."

He apologised to the family for the delay hearing the inquest saying that it was necessary to deal with "very complex matters" relating to the construction of the bomb.

At the time of his death, father Brigadier John Palmer said his son believed that his troop was "making a difference" in the war-torn country.

He added that the "vast majority" of Iraqis were "better off" because of the work of soldiers like his son.

He said: "Life was very difficult for his squadron, for his troop, but he still believed that what they were doing, they were doing it very professionally and that they were little by little making a difference for the majority of the population."

He did not wish to speak to reporters following the conclusion of his son's inquest today.

Lt Palmer, who was unmarried, had followed in his father's footsteps when he chose to join the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

After attending Haileybury School in Hertford and Durham University, he went on to Sandhurst and was commissioned into the regiment in August 2004.

He was made a troop leader in the regiment 'D' squadron, where he was said, by colleagues, to have demonstrated a "natural flair for tank commanding, remaining calm under pressure whilst dealing with a myriad of complications".